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Fullarton Stevie

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Stevie Fullarton

Born in Glasgow's east end, he left school at 14 to provide for his family. His early employment included a spell scraping manure from the streets to sell on, although this was followed by an engineering apprenticeship.

Having actively joined the Communist Party and campaigned for the Spanish republic, he sought a place in the International Brigade. Actually only 18 years of age, he told Communist Party recruiters for the brigade he was 22. Arriving in Spain in March 1938, he was sent to the Chabola valley in preparation for the crossing of the river Ebro. During the battle, he was shot in the abdomen, and after a few painful weeks in hospital, he returned to Britain on December 23rd 1938.

He almost immediately volunteered for the RAF and, at first, was effectively blacklisted, but after his doctor wrote a reference saying: "He has been in Spain. If this is no bar to recruitment, he is in every way suitable for the RAF," he was signed up and saw war service in South Africa.

After the war he married, moved to Edinburgh, became a draughtsman, and concentrated his efforts on giving himself a belated education, and on the two sons and daughter, which he had with Isabella, his wife, who died in 1968.

After the demise of the CPGB and in his late years, he was a member of the Scottish Socialist Party.

In 2007, the Edinburgh People's Festival arranged for Stevie to be honoured by his football team Hearts and Barcelona before they played at Murrayfield in a UNICEF-sponsored pre-season friendly. Officials from the Catalan club joined those from Hearts in presenting Mr Fullarton with an award in memory of his involvement defending Barcelona on the Ebro front.

Steve always remained proud of his involvement with the International Brigade: "Here was a body of men who I don't think will ever be equalled in their intensity of purpose, trying to eliminate fascism. And that's been my pride, that I was one of them."